The Best of Us
by ImaginaryFlower
Summary: Back when Miku was a magical girl, her generation of spunky magical crime fighters disappeared mysteriously. Now, she's the only one left. Because of this, she's been asked to not only train the new girls who will replace her friends, but now she's supposed to lead them, too. Miku can't even count the things that will go wrong on both her hands. Open to pairing suggestions.
1. Chapter 1

**The Best of Us**

**Back when Miku was a magical girl, her generation of spunky magical crime fighters disappeared mysteriously. Now, she's the only one left. Because of this, she's been asked to not only train the new girls who will replace her friends, but now she's supposed to lead them, too. Miku can't even count the things that will go wrong on both her hands.**

**Pairings: Background MikixGumi and one-sided SeeUxMiku, past LukaxKaito, background NeruxHaku. Completely open for suggestions otherwise.**

**Genres: Angst, friendship, supernatural, romance**

**Rating: T**

**Characters: Miku H.**

**Why am I starting a new story? Because I want to suffer. I don't even know.**

**Anyway, this has been written down in my writing prompts notebook for a while and I finally got bored enough to start it. I don't know when I'll actually get done with the next chapter, but I thought I might go ahead and post the first one just to see what people think. Until I'm properly done with my current multi-chapter story, I have no intention of focusing on this one. Unless it gets popular, which is doubtful.**

**I intended to have very heavy angst throughout this story. Sad backstories, possible character death (definite character death, actually), and probably a lot of crying. Which is good for me because I seem to enjoy killing my characters. Oh, and some unrequited love.**

**So, have fun!**

* * *

Magical girl.

They were interesting words – apart, both could be attention-grabbing, depending on the context. Together, they had more meaning. Magical girl. Haven't you heard it somewhere before? Those silly children dancing across the screen of your television, defeating villains in a blast of sparkles and uttering a catch-phrase like it was the most important thing said in the history of humanity. It's disgusting. How had she ever been able to watch those shows?

Miku Hatsune had real experience with magical girls. They weren't sugar, spice, and everything nice. They weren't snips and snail, either. Usually, magical girls weren't any better than normal girls. They just had more responsibility. More power. Good and evil was all relative, and the lines were quite blurred . Black and white didn't exist in the world of magical girls. It was mostly grey. Granted, there were darker and lighter shades, and everyone tended to shift on the scale. But it was rare to find someone who was purely black or purely white. Which made the entire thing far more complicated than was entirely necessary.

Miku had learned this the hard way. She didn't know where she fit in on the scale – and she probably never would – but the scale certainly existed, even when magic wasn't involved.

All human beings had the capability for both great good and great evil. Who had ever said that didn't mean they could accomplish both?

It was entirely the recruiter's fault that she was even thinking about this. He was a man Miku didn't like thinking about on the best of days. Today wasn't the best of days. In fact, because of him, it was one of the worst ones she had been through in w ahile. After years, why had he contacted her again? After so much, why now?

Miku shifted in her seat. She had been waiting at the small, expensive coffee shop for a good twenty minutes already. Leave it to him to be late. She hadn't even wanted to see him in the first place. She had managed to ignore him for years, ever since – well, best not to bring that up. But she hadn't seen or heard a peep from that part of her life since high school. And she'd made sure of it, hiding deep and becoming as normal as possible. Surely he'd noticed the way she avoided his calls? The emails that went unanswered? Even her magical item had been locked up tight to ensure she would never see it light up again. What use was it, anyway? She had lost too much to ever consider contacting him again. She thought he had understood that.

But even she couldn't ignore the signs of magical activity lately. The crime rate had risen, with a little help from the huge sources of magical power popping up around the city. Just as they had when she was a teen. Were people making deals again? Didn't humans ever learn?

She was so sick of all this. People were so stupid. She really couldn't be bothered to save their useless skins anymore.

She sighed, checking her watch. Only a few minutes until half an hour had passed. Miku would have a perfectly good excuse for vanishing. After all, he had arranged the meeting. He had no right to stand her up. He really hadn't changed, had he?

The door at the front of the shop opened and Miku felt a familiar aura enter. She didn't bother looking up, knowing full well he had finally saw fit to show up.

"Miku."

It wasn't even a proper greeting. Just her name, simple and bland and dropped off of a scarred tongue. She hated the way he said her name, like it meant anything to him. It never had.

"Yes?" she asked. Her voice wasn't angry; on the contrary, she stayed as calm as possible. She had already taken the time to travel back to this city. Why waste spent minutes?

She nearly smirked. A good friend of hers would have scolded her for using anything close to the term "wasting time." Time wasn't something you could waste. You could use it, but it wasn't solid. It wasn't water, which you could waste. It wasn't money. It just was. How could you really waste something you didn't have much control over?

"You showed up," the man who had invited her here nudged his glasses up his nose, sitting down across from her. When she had first become a magical girl and met him, he had seemed so much older and wiser than her. It was so strange how things had been reversed. She was actually older than him now. She knew more, too. About everything. She knew how the world worked, she knew the meaning of life, the universe, and everything in between. She knew about magic. And most importantly, she knew that it was all pointless. She had stopped trying. And he never had.

She really had changed, then.

"I did," Miku confirmed. "Why did you ask me to come?" 'Ask' being the kind word for it.

He cleared his throat. "It's important, if that makes you any less annoyed." He knew her too well. How else had he known she was annoyed? She hadn't shown it.

"Not really. But do continue." Her voice was an Arctic winter – cold, blinding, and as lifeless as you could get.

"I'm sure you've noticed the recent activity," he said. It may have been Miku's imagination, but he seemed a bit nervous. Was it because of her? She couldn't blame him if it was. After all, she could kill him in an instant if he displeased her, without a single witness. Not that she would. But he didn't need to know that. Miku liked to watch him squirm.

"Of course," she said.

"Then you know we need help. We have no one. Not after –" he cut himself off. Miku didn't react, though she knew exactly what he was implying.

"And you certainly don't have me," she replied. "Get some new girls. God knows you can convince them."

He flinched. Of course he flinched. With the bite in Miku's voice, he was surprised he still had both his arms.

"We have new girls," he told her. "We just don't have anyone to train them."

It clicked in Miku's head what he was asking. "Absolutely not," she said fiercely. She should have guessed. After all, she herself had a mentor when she became a magical girl. She remembered the older girl well, actually. She had liked her, even with their differences. But all of her friends had their own mentor. There was no one else to help her train this group.

It was all her fault.

"We can't turn to anyone else," he insisted. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is ask you. But–"

"You never should have even considered it," she interrupted with a hiss. "You of all people, Kiyoteru. And I trusted you enough to leave me alone."

She stood, her coffee cup falling from the table top and spilling onto the floor. The horrible, ear-piercing shriek that came from her chair as she pushed away from the table drew more than a bit of attention. People were looking. She did not want people looking.

"Go screw yourself," Miku told him. "I want no part of your brainwashing."

Kiyoteru followed her as she stormed from the coffee shop, catching her arm as she shoved into the open air. It was the middle of summer, but outside the sky was overcast and thundering, holding the threat of rain over the people below who wandered the bust streets. The streets she used to protect. The very same ones she loved. The ones she walked to school on. God, it hurt so much. She never should have come back.

"Miku," he began, his hand on her wrist. She absolutely refused to look at him. "I'm not the recruiter anymore. I retired. I just… I couldn't handle it. They only contacted me to see if I could convince you." Kiyoteru's next utterance was a strangled laugh. This surprised Miku. Why hadn't he just told her from the start? She probably would have trusted him more.

"The new recruiter. He's a kid. He's... God, he's younger than I was." Miku could hear Kiyoteru swallow that immense pride of his before continuing. "They need your help. They're kids. Please, Miku. Help them. Help them do whatever it is you wish you could have done."

Miku's heartbeat had slowed to a crawl. She couldn't believe he had the audacity to ask her anything. She owed him nothing.

"Tell me you're appealing to my humanity," she replied quietly, still refusing to turn and look at him. "That's always good for a laugh."

She yanked her arm away from his grip and rounded on him. "Give me one good reason," she demanded icily, eyes narrowing and focusing on Kiyoteru's brown ones. She sensed his intense need to turn and run. But he wouldn't. Maybe that's why she kept listening. Kiyoteru had always been a coward. Swallowing that down couldn't be easy. So, yes, she would listen.

"They're going to die," he said. "If you don't train them, they're going to die. You can't handle having that weighing down on you, too."

"I owe them nothing. Don't presume to know what weighs me down," Miku snapped. "Thousands die every day. None of it is ever my fault. I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to. Don't you dare pretend otherwise."

Kiyoteru waited silently as she glared up at him. They were far too close for his comfort but Miku couldn't care less. In fact, the more uncomfortable he was, the better.

"I'm begging here, Miku," he said. Where she was angry, he was keeping as calm as he could. But she could still read that desperation in his eyes, deep and dark and choking. "Please. I can't let that kid fail like I did."

Miku considered what he had just said. He certainly didn't sound like he was begging. Then again, Kiyoteru's way of begging was different than the average person's. She knew this.

"Fine," she agreed at last. "I'll do what I can. And if they die, I can say 'I told you so.'"

Kiyoteru nodded, the lump in his throat refusing to be swallowed down. He was disturbed by how Miku spoke. She really didn't have a heart anymore, it seemed.

"Okay," he accepted. "I can… I'll email you the details."

"Don't bother," Miku told him, taking a step back and preparing to go on her way. "I remember everything."

* * *

Miku Hatsune lived in a small town about three hours away from where she was now. After the events that occurred many years ago, she had found a small apartment and started going to the local college. She wanted to be an art student, and even though it wasn't a very practical way to make money (and she had to admit, her talents in the field of art were less than adequate), she decided to go that route. She got better over the years, too. Honestly, the improvement was amazing. Miku was actually a little bit proud.

Now, at twenty-three, she had returned to her home city, the place she had been born and where she had grown up in a lovely little house near a playground. She had lived here until she was nineteen. Being back was so strange. Nothing had changed. Not that she had expected anything to, really. It seemed like things were going fine without her. The city had done well without its magical heroes. Miku was surprised it had taken so long for the next generation of magical girls to show up, though. Usually, only a year or two went by. How long had it been?

Miku used her mental calculator to figure it out as she unlocked the door to her hotel room. She had no idea how long she'd be there. Hopefully she'd return to her own home before her classes started back up in the fall. But maybe she should try to find an apartment to rent all the same. If she had been connected to the magical interface the magical girls got their powers from, she may have used her magic to open a portal to her own tiny apartment. Unfortunately, she was no longer a magical girl and didn't have that right. As it was, using magic really took it out of her. Not that she used it very much anymore. Actually, it had been over a year since Miku had intentionally tried using magic. There were those times her abilities automatically kicked in. For example, she could always sense magic. It came with experience. Once someone came into contact with magic, there were some things they could do without even thinking about it. Sensing magic was one of those things. Your five senses were also enhanced naturally, too. Miku could hear and see things the average person couldn't even dream of, even with the new scientific advances. Her sense of smell was incredible, though her sense of taste was to the point where she could literally taste scents in the air, so it was a fairly useless enhancement. She never really got sick, either. Her magic (or what little of it she had left) protected her from common ailments. And the occasional scratch and bruise she might encounter never lasted more than ten minutes.

Even so, Miku would always hate herself for not getting out of this mess called magic sooner. Nothing that she had gained was worth what she had lost.

Miku settled onto her bed, which wasn't actually hers considering it belonged to the hotel. But it was soft and well-kept and clean. The thing about being an ex-magical girl is that you always ended up with a lot of money. That is, if you survived. Miku had over three million dollars deposited in her bank account each month. At this point, she probably never had to worry about money ever again, even if they cut down her fund.

Miku sometimes wondered why the organization gave her so much. They knew they couldn't buy her silence if she ever chose to expose them. They knew money could never replace what she had lost. And yet they continued to give her such large sums of money. She could very well pay for her own needs with the money she earned from her job. In fact, she had never touched that one hundred and forty-four million sitting in her account. She refused to. Someday, she knew, she'd probably need it. She'd simply have to swallow her pride and her anger and take out however much she needed, but for now, she could live like an average, boring person.

Nevertheless, if she had to be dragged to this Godforsaken city again, then she would have a nice hotel. Even if it meant digging into her own savings, which was only a little over three thousand. And she still had to pay for college.

Being an adult really sucked.

Miku sighed and checked her phone. She knew that, since it was a Friday and a school day, the new generation of magical girls wouldn't be called together until around five p.m. She knew they'd meet up in the music room at her old school, where the windows would be covered and things would be discussed. She assumed the girls already knew about being chosen as magical girls, so she'd just sit there quietly until she was introduced to them. She'd set up times where she could train them together and individually. She'd talk to their recruiter. She'd wish them good luck and then she'd leave. It probably would only take a few months if she was lucky. She couldn't really take an entire year out of her schedule. She had college, after all.

Miku felt her phone buzz just as she was about to put it away. She had a text from one of her few friends back in her own town. Teto Kasane and Piko Utatane lived in the same apartment complex as her and had the strangest love-hate relationship. Teto was on her way to becoming a teacher, while Piko was more interested in science. More specifically, biology. Miku had always hated science in school, but that way Piko spoke about it made science seem like the most amazing thing in the entire universe. He always knew the latest theories and discoveries. Teto teased him about being a nerd, but both she and Miku liked to hear Piko talk about what he loved.

**how is your visit going? – Teto**

Miku thought for a moment before replying. She had told Piko and Teto she had to go away to visit her family for summer break. Of course she couldn't tell them the truth. Magical girls were actually a universally acknowledged truth, but the identities of the girls were never revealed. They probably wouldn't believe her if she told them it had something to do with magical girls. It was easier to lie.

**It's okay. Sort of boring. Hope I can come back soon. –Miku**

**we miss you! –Teto**

**don't go meeting up with any old flames or anything, either! we want you all to ourselves ;) –Teto**

Miku rolled her eyes. Teto had the idea in her head that two of them were bound to end up together before college ended. Apparently, Teto and Piko, Miku and Piko, or Teto and Miku were destined to marry and have a zillion kids. Miku didn't bother pointing out that two girls could have biological kids together.

Miku wasn't one to watch television, but she turned on the large, expensive television in her hotel room all the same, flicking to a news channel. She had a while before the meeting would likely happen, so there was no use sitting in silence.

The news wasn't any good, she decided, using the remote to shut off the TV after the reporter started on a story of the recent murder of a ten-year-old boy.

"Humanity is disgusting," she muttered. "Why did I ever even try to save this sorry bunch?"

She hated all of them. Humans were vile and cruel. Not all were, but it seemed like it only got worse as years went by. She couldn't go a single day without hearing about a local murder or a war or a revolution or a bombing. People were horrible to each other. She hated being one of them.

Miku sank into the mattress on her side, letting herself relax as she stared at the drizzle outside her window. It was so dark and thunder crashed overhead. She hadn't seen any lightening yet, though it wouldn't be long. There was a storm coming. She could sense it.

At least, she thought she could.


	2. Chapter 2

Miku was awoken by a knock that sounded on her hotel room door a little after three in the afternoon. The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was the pounding of the rain outside. It was a harsh beat of water on brick outside her window, the glass fogged with the chill outside and streaming with water. She was glad she wasn't out it that storm.

She stood and completely ignored the eyehole in her door, seeing as she could reach it anyway. She was short, she had come to accept. And if anyone happened to attack her, she could kill them anyway.

She wasn't at all surprised when she opened the door and found four girls and a boy standing before her. She had read their presence before opening the door, had sensed the magical energy around them.

"Hello," the boy greeted. He seemed nervous and shy. Miku would guess that he was about fourteen or fifteen at the youngest. "Are you Miku Hatsune?"

"Yes," she replied. "I didn't expect you to come here."

The boy shifted his weight as though he was uncomfortable. He would not meet Miku's eyes. Was he afraid of her?

"It's… I-I, um…" he stammered. Miku suppressed an eye-roll.

"Please, come in," she offered without a trace of emotion. "And leave your shoes by the door. I don't want anyone to clean up more mud than absolutely necessary."

One girl, who had a mass of fluffy, light blonde curls, shot Miku a look as though she had been extremely inconvenienced. Miku stared back at her with impassive blue eyes until the other girl followed her instructions.

"So," Miku began, "you must be generation 29. Welcome to the world of magic."

"We've already been training for two weeks," the blonde who had glared at her just moments before snapped. "Don't treat us like amateurs."

Miku didn't bother replying. She remained silent until the other girl dropped her gaze. Miku then moved on to examine the rest of the group. The boy and another girl with blonde hair and a white bow in her hair looked very similar. In fact, she bet they were twins. A tall girl with a shock of green hair stood straight and confidently, as though she knew exactly what she was doing. Miku didn't need a peek inside her head to know she most certainly did not. Another girl, one with long red hair and bright eyes, hung close to this girl, glancing around the room curiously. The last girl stood quietly, as though she was trying to become part of the surroundings and go as unnoticed as possible.

"I'm Len," the boy introduced himself. "I'm the, um, recruiter. The new one, I mean. This is my older sister, Rin, who's a magical girl. The rest are SeeU, Miki, Gumi, and Haku."

Miku saw each girl start a bit at the sound of her name and instantly knew who was who, even though Len failed to include that in his introduction.

"Miku Hatsune," she replied. "I've been told to train you."

"We don't need your help," said the girl named SeeU stubbornly. Miku's gaze found her again.

"You can tell me that again after you successfully defeat a monster," Miku told the girl. "Until then, I'm afraid we'll both have to pretend we can get along."

There was no bite to her words, but the shy girl named Haku flinched all the same.

"I'll do my best not to get you all killed," Miku told them. "But I'm not promising anything. I'm no teacher. I'm not your mother. And I'm not going to be nice about it. You mess up, you face the consequences. That's how it works in a real battle. And we can always replace you."

SeeU continued to glare, though everyone else looked a bit shaken up. Miku didn't feel even a bit guilty. Maybe if her trainers had this approach, she wouldn't have failed so badly.

"Now, give me your level and which element you use," Miku commanded. "And tell me your item. I'll be able to adjust your individual training based on your personal ability. You aren't to the point where you use weapons yet. You first," she nodded to Gumi, the green haired girl who had Miki the red-head hanging off her arm. She jumped a bit and swallowed.

"I'm level five and, um, I use earth," the girl replied, biting her bottom lip. "My item is my goggles."

"I'm Miki!" Miki greeted happily. "I'm also a level five and I use water! My item is this bracelet!" She lifted up her wrist to show Miku her bracelet. It had a gold chain. From it, a red star dangled, swayig slightly with the movement of the girl's arm.

"Level six. Air," Rin told her softly. "My hair clip is my item." She pointed to the hair clip that held her blonde bangs out of her eyes. It had a row of small, red hearts on it, and was accompanied by two plain, white clips next to it on either side

Haku spoke up next, clearing her throat before answering in a delicate voice. "I'm a level six. I use light. My item is my hair bow." Her hand reached behind her to tug on the black and purple hair bow that held back her hair in a loose ponytail.

Miku wasn't surprised at all. They fit the typical personality types of their elements. They were just like her friends so far.

She turned to the last girl expectantly. SeeU curled her lip and glared directly at her.

"I'm a level seven. I use fire," she finally said with a growl. "My item is this damn headband." SeeU pointed to the top of her head, where a pair of cat ears poked up over her hair. Obviously, she regretted wearing those the day she had been picked as a magical girl. Now she'd be stuck wearing cat ears for years.

"Okay," Miku said. She had noticed that they lacked one girl when they first entered. Now she knew why. The girl who controlled time was always the most powerful and the leader of the group. She sometimes took a while to choose. Until then, she would have to work around that absence. "Good. We can work with this." They all had similar levels, which would help immensely. Getting caught in a group where someone was a three and someone was a six often messed with what the group could accomplish. Miku knew this well. Her own generation had been fairly divided when it came to level.

"What about you?" SeeU asked pointedly. "I don't want someone weaker than me training us. Tell us your level."

Miku gave her a look that would have frozen anyone else to their spot. SeeU just kept glaring.

What was wrong with this girl? Even for someone who used fire, she was incredibly hostile. And angry. And why had she singled Miku out as her punching bag? It was a stupid thing to do considering how powerful Miku was.

Miku offered a wry smile as she answered. "I'm level nine. Earth. My item is a gem on a choker. Emerald, if you're interested. I don't have a weapon."

"We were told you're a level three," SeeU said snidely.

"I was," Miku said. "But I'm not anymore."

"No one changes levels," SeeU retorted. "It isn't possible."

"It comes with being a murderer," Miku replied. "Now, let's set up a schedule."

No one argued, not even SeeU.

* * *

Miku wrote down a schedule for the girls on a piece of paper. She warned them that if they were late, there would be punishment set up. She didn't want her time wasted.

Each girl got two slots a week, with Wednesday and Sunday set for group training. It may be a bit much, but the more they got done, the sooner Miku got to leave. And then she would never, ever be coming back. Hell, she'd even destroy her item. It would be great to finally get rid of that constant reminder.

Miku gave Len her number and dismissed the group until the next day, when she would meet up with Haku first and later Rin for individual training. She knew exactly where they would go, too.

Miku slept fitfully after making a brief call to reassure Teto she hadn't died. She could hear Piko in the background, lightly scolding the girl before the cellphone was thrust at the boy, who stammered a hello as Teto giggled next to him. She was glad they were so far away. There was no way they could get caught up in the magic business. They could get hurt or worse, like her other friends had.

The thing Miku hated the most about this was how her horrible memories were being pulled the front of her mind. She didn't want to remember these things. They had barely gotten better through years of recovery, and part of that was being as far away as Miku could possibly manage. But now she was back in familiar territory. And she didn't like it one bit.

In case you haven't actually picked up on that.

Miku's hotel bill was taken up by the Organization her second day in the city. The Organization was a large group of people (officially called Kamui Enterprises, a company that dabbled in video game development, for the most part, which was actually just a front to throw people off the fact that they were the ones who controlled the magical girls) who dedicated large amounts of money and research into solving the "portals to other worlds" problem that had risen up in the early 1960s. It was brought to the public's attention that, yes, magic existed and yes, someone really did need to protect the general populace from these insane beasts that were making their way over from a place that most definitely wasn't Earth. The magical girls were actually just a patch job for the problem that the Organization was trying to solve. The top scientists in the world were working there to try to close the portals to make sure nothing else came through.

Miku rarely had contact with the organization. She had, in her time as a magical girl, been in direct contact with Kiyoteru, who worked for the Organization as what they called a "recruiter," who was basically the magical girls' handler, for lack of a better word. This time around, it was Len. Why the hell did they choose a fourteen-year-old kid? Miku would really never understand those lunatics.

All the same, at least they had the decency to pay for her hotel room. They were the ones that had asked (forced, really; had she said no, she doubted she would be in one piece or even alive at the moment) to come back, anyway. They technically owed her. They owed her a lot.

Miku hated the Organization. It sort of went without saying. Some shady group with the power to do whatever they want with you? It was bad enough without her past interactions (or lack thereof) with them.

But it wasn't just that. There was so much more. If it hadn't been for the Organization, she and her friends would never have become magical girls. And if that hadn't happened, none of them would have died.

So Miku most definitely hated them. And who could blame her?

Nonetheless, she knew she would be offered the best on her stay. She bet she could even use the fancy training centers the Organization offered for their agents and guards. Only the best for the Organization, of course. But Miku had something less grand in mind. It's how she remembered learning. Well, this version was a bit more extreme, but it had the same message and lesson behind it.

Haku met up with her at three thirty on Saturday, wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt and baggy jeans with a purple belt to hold them up. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail Miku suspected she rarely removes (much like the twintails she wore, she supposed) and the bow was tied tight, not moving an inch. She looked nervous as she stood in the hotel's lobby, red eyes darting around like she was expecting a predator to leap out at her.

"Hello," Miku greeted. It was the best the younger girl would get, though. In fact, the only reason she even got that was because Miku felt just the tiniest bit sorry for the girl. After all, with nerves like that in the magical girl field, she really wouldn't last long.

"Hello," Haku replied in her soft voice. Her eyes darted up to Miku's. When she realized Miku was staring back, she quickly glanced away, face reddening.

"Put this on," Miku instructed without hesitation. She held out a long strip of black cloth. Haku blinked and took it, though she clearly didn't understand what Miku meant.

"What is it?" Haku asked.

"A blindfold," Miku replied shortly. At her words, Haku started and with a look of confusion, reached up to tie the blindfold around her head. Miku watched her attempts to smooth down her silver hair as best she could before continuing.

"Now," Miku said, "follow me. Just listen and try to tell which way I'm going. If you can't do that, then I'll let you hold on to the back of my shirt."

"O-okay," Haku agreed in a stammer. Obviously, she had no idea what was going on. Miku suspected that would be the case, which was perfectly fine with her.

Moving with the grace of a dancer, she stepped lightly across the floor, making as little noise as possible. Haku's head turned and Miku could tell the girl was trying to focus on where Miku was going, which seemed to be in the direction of the front entrance of her hotel. Miku discovered that Haku actually had a pretty good idea of her location by the way she tilted her head.

After a moment, the younger girl stumbled after Miku , her own feet finding careful grip on the floor below. She nearly crashed into a wall or a plant on more than one occasion, but Miku was impressed she had even known which direction to go.

"Good," she said, deciding the praise was the least she could offer. "Now, do try to keep up."

While Miku had not been a magical girl who wielded light, she had been sitting it at the time her friend Lily was training. She remembered well which abilities her mentor had exercised. Maybe she wouldn't be able to replicate it perfectly, but it would be better than nothing.

Miku exited the hotel and greeted a warm, bright day. There were surprisingly few people outside at the moment, considering it was a weekend.

"Are you managing?" Miku asked. She could visualize Haku's slow, contemplative blinks even with the blindfold on.

"I guess," Haku answered in a small voice. Miku decided not to ask again after that, figuring the girl could handle more than people seemed to think.

Miku remained quiet as she wove between people, walking slower than she normally would. She knew her destination and hoped it hadn't changed since last she'd been there.

They walked for a long time. Well over half an hour later, they were in the rougher area of town, where buildings sagged and the perpetual smell of gasoline and cigarette smoke hung in the air. Miku could see Haku's nose twitch as she adjusted to her new surroundings.

"Stop," Miku decided. They now stood in the middle of a baseball field that could do with some repairs. The dirt below their feet was cluttered with stones and goat heads. Litter lay everywhere the eye could see, rusting parts of bicycles and tired flung haphazardly on the bleachers, which were nothing less than completely unstable. Miku wouldn't set foot on those metal death traps for anything. They'd most likely collapse beneath her.

"Okay. Wait thirty seconds and then take the blindfold off," Miku instructed. Haku nodded and Miku saw her lips move slowly as she counted up from one. Quickly, Miku darted away, her feet light as air on the ground below. If she had wanted, she could have sunk straight through the ground and hidden in there. After all, she had been in control of earth magic during her own time as a sassy magical heroine. But Miku felt it would probably be better to watch Haku from a place she could instantly jump out as help her. She had led her into a rather difficult situation, if she remembered correctly.

She watched from behind an abandon, rusting truck as Haku tore her blindfold off and glanced around almost desperately. She seemed so nervous it was almost cruel to leave her alone.

"M-miss Miku?" she called.

_Keep calling. You'll attract their attention_, Miku urged in her head, watching with unbiased eyes. The only reason she really wanted Haku to pass this test she was unknowingly taking was so she could leave sooner. If Haku didn't pass, it would only mean more training. Otherwise, Miku didn't really care either way.

"I-it's really not funny!" Haku called out. She sounded as though she was going to cry. "Please come out!"

Miku watched the girl jump and spin to face the loud crash that had sounded from the building next the destroyed ballpark. It had been an office building at some point, tall and proud and well-cared-for. Now, not a single glass pane remained in any of the windows. Last Miku had heard about it, some gang had claimed it for themselves. No one else wanted it anyway.

"Who's there?" Haku stammered, holding her arms closely to her chest and taking a step back. A group of shadowy figures could be seen through a large hole in the wall of the building. Shiny eyes stared out at her from the darkness, at least seven different pairs.

"Only us!" said a voice. "No need to worry!"

Haku realized there was definite need for worry and stumbled backward, nearly tripping. This earned her a laugh from the group that was slowly trickling through the huge hole in the building.

"Well, hi, there," said one of the men who emerged. In total, there were five boys (some younger than Miku) and two girls. None of them looked especially friendly. Just as Miku remembered.

Haku didn't reply, too frozen with fear. None of them seemed to like that.

"Oh, don't be that way. All I said was hello," the man said. He was tall, with a shock of silver hair. In his mouth sat an unlit cigarette. Slowly, he approached Haku, who couldn't move.

"So, why would you come here of all places?" the guy asked, leaning in towards Haku with narrowed eyes. "It isn't exactly safe."

Miku rolled her eyes. At least the need for banter hadn't changed.

"O-of course it isn't safe," Haku managed. "Not with your type roaming around and-"

"And what's 'my type,' sweetie?" he interrupted in a tone that clearly said 'tread carefully.'

Haku seemed to gather herself for a moment before looking straight up at the much taller boy, taking a shaky breath and glaring as harshly as she could manage. "Violent, insane misfits who can't think of anything better to do than to hurt other people."

A sharp crack echoed around the park as Miku watched Haku get slapped across the cheek. Hard. Miku had gotten slapped a few times in her day and knew well how it felt.

Haku's gasp was audible from where she was. Miku decided that she had passed the test and she should probably get involved before Haku got seriously hurt.

She stood and approached slowly with as much confidence as she could manage. Haku looked even closer to tears now, her hand covering her reddening cheek and her feet unable to move.

"Okay, Haku. Good job."

The group spun to look at her as Miku approached. Haku blinked and Miku offered out her hand, pulling the girl behind her to shield her. Up close, she recognized the boy who had slapped her student. She had seen him around here when they were both younger. After all, this part of town had been a hotspot of activity in terms of crime and magical deals, which people sometimes made with the monsters that came through the portals. By the way he glared at her, he recognized her, too.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded. Miku could feel hostility radiating from him like heat.

"Training," she replied. "Nothing important. Now, we should be on our way."

He stared down at her angrily. "What makes you think I'll let you?"

"It isn't a matter of let," Miku explained coldly. "It's a matter if you like having two eyes."

She took Haku hand again, leading the girl away from the group of rowdy gang members. She could hear insults flying at her in an attempt to start a fight, but she ignored them. When she was about ten feet from the group, she felt something slam into her lower back. It hurt intensely, but Miku had no intention of retaliating. She simply continued to drag Haku away as calmly as ever. Haku, though she wouldn't admit it, was in awe. How could she just ignore the abuse being flung at her? Haku herself had to duck twice to avoid the things they were throwing.

Miku felt a bottle break against the back of her skull and nearly tripped. Haku stammered questions at her, clearly worried, but all Miku did was brush a hand over the back of her head, feeling the thin stream of blood that stained her hair. There was a gash there, no doubt, though she doubt it was serious.

"Come on, Haku," she urged the girl, who was continuously glancing behind them to make sure the group wasn't following them.

"Why… why are they just staying there?" Haku asked in a whisper.

"They're cowards," Miku replied. "They never had any intention of actually fighting. When you're young, courage is more for show, especially when bodily harm is involved.

Haku remained silent as Miku released her hand and walked a few steps ahead, kicking dust up from the cracked sidewalks. The air outside was still thick with hazy pollution, and Miku couldn't get back to her hotel fast enough.

* * *

By the time they arrived back in the lobby, Haku's hour and a half of training was nearly up. Not only that, but Miku was exhausted. Haku seemed fairly shaken still, so she let the girl sit for those last few minutes before the next girl would show up.

"E-excuse me, Miss Miku?" Haku began from the couch in the hotel lobby. Miku stood, examining the area with a general air of disinterest. "What was the point of today's training?"

Miku looked down at the girl, her look hardly changing. Haku might as well have been the couch for all the interest she gave her.

"I needed to test you," Miku said. "You passed, if that's any help."

"Not really…"

Miku turned to stare at the front door again, expected the blonde Rin to arrive at any time. "I thought your weakness would be your shyness. You seem like a pushover, to be completely honest, and a bit of a coward. As I discovered today, you aren't any of those things when it matters."

Haku shifted uncomfortably. She didn't seem to know whether she had been insulted or complimented. But Miku sensed there was more. Haku was holding back.

"Is there anything you want to say?" she asked abruptly. Haku jumped at the sound of her voice and bit her lip, contemplating whether she wanted to say what she was thinking or not.

"I, um… I learned something about you, too," Haku finally said. "I don't think I'll mind having you as my mentor, after all."

Miku raised an eyebrow, curious despite herself. "And why is that?"

"W-well," Haku began, "it's a bit silly. But I guess… Now you seem more human. To me, at least. SeeU called you a robot, actually." Haku was slowly turning pink. "B-but that's not what I- I mean, I was impressed. And you, um…" Haku seemed to be at a loss for words and continued to steadily turn red. Under Miku's gaze, she shoved her burning face into her hands in an attempt to avoid the older girl's green eyes.

Miku let the girl stammer herself out, contemplating what she had just said.

_A robot, huh?_ Miku thought. _Well, I suppose Haku certainly won't be a problem in the future. She'll be easy to train._

Miku ignored the beat of her heart and the way it increased just the slightest bit as she remembered what Haku had said.

_'I was impressed,' _Miku repeated silently. _I shouldn't let that get to me. It shouldn't be important, anyway. But nonetheless… I…_

She appreciated it.

Damn. She was going to have to work on not getting attached.


	3. Chapter 3

**Guys. You're all great. Like really.**

**So here are some responses to those guest reviewers! I'm pretty sure I've already replied to people with accounts... There will be some stuff about pairings addressed here, so if that's something you care about, you might want to read the rest of the author's note!**

**emaN****: Me, too! I suppose I based it off Puella Magi Madoka Magica a bit, but not completely. I was sort of just like "oh! Angst and magical girls and sadness and character death" and ran with the idea after that. Heh. I'm not an incredibly original person, for the most part... A bit more gets revealed this chapter! I think... It's been a while since I wrote it. But what happened to them exactly will remain a mystery for a while! I'm actually pretty excited about it. I sort of meant Miku to be a flat character at first. I don't really want readers to connect to her very much. I hope to develop her character more over time, though! I was planning on having a bit of past LukaxMiku, though it'll sortof be a love triangle... You'll find out more later! As for the other pairings, I can definitely do KiyoteruxLily (I was planning to do a little bit of that, actually), but it's going to be a very angsty romance because of... something. I don't want to reveal too much. I think I can fit in OliverxDell, too, if no one dislikes it immensely.**

**Nani:**** Thank you very much! I feel like the characters and how they develop is going to be an important part of the story, so hopefully I won't screw that up! I've addressed this, but because of certain circumstances, LukaxMiku will have to be a thing of the past in this story. **

**Hakuto:**** I really want to make SeeUxMiku one of the pairings, but I never really planned to have Miku end up with someone! And unfortunately, due to the ending of the story, they can't end up together... I'm a terrible person. Why is LukaxMiku such a popular request? This is weird! Not that I have anything against that pairing... See above for response to your question!**

**Mika Hatsune:**** I'm so sorry I didn't respond to you last chapter! I'm a terrible person OTL. Er... MikuxKaito, MikuxLuka, and KaitoxMiku is going to be this past love triangle in future chapters, so I suppose you'll get a bit of KaitoxMiku! If that's reassuring at all...**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed! I don't understand why you all like this story, to be honest, but I'll be putting my best effort in! This is why updates will probably infrequent! Sorry about that...**

**Anyway, here we go to chapter three! I didn't expect to get this far at all!**

* * *

"How's the training going?"

Out of all the people in the world, Miku decided she wanted to see Kiyoteru Hiyama the least. Yet there he was, all proper in his suit and neatly combed hair and clean glasses. He had always been that way, though – professional, organized, not a hair out of place. It annoyed her to no end, when she often returned from a mission battered and frizzy-haired – it would take hours to comb out her pigtails properly – and sometimes on fire. Okay, so usually on fire. But that only made it worse. While toiled around in the mud with her friends to try to, you know, _save the world_, Kiyoteru rarely showed up with a wrinkle in his clothes. He was undeniably the most irritating human on the face of the earth.

"I'm eating dinner," Miku stated, gesturing to the salad in front of her. She sat outside a little restaurant that had to be a recent addition to the block. She couldn't remember it being there before.

"A salad is not dinner," Kiyoteru told her. "Is that all you've eaten today?"

Miku had a feeling Kiyoteru didn't count a handful of cereal as "eating." Nevertheless, she ignored the nagging, whining part of her that commanded her to tell the truth.

"No," she said. It wasn't a lie, after all.

Kiyoteru's face was easy to read. Miku had never been able to read his expressions before. But now it was all too simple to see through his smiles or frowns or stares. He clearly didn't believe her. Well, fine. She didn't need him to believe her.

"How much do you weigh?" Kiyoteru asked, eyes skimming her slim figure. Miku fought the urge to slug him.

"None of your business," she glared at him as he sat down. His glasses slid down his nose and the man quickly shoved them back up, looking across at Miku with what seemed to be genuine concern. Miku wasn't buying it.

"You're about five feet, right?" Kiyoteru continued, ignoring the silent death glare he was being sent from Miku's place behind her meager salad. She had hardly eaten any of it at all, though she had been sitting there for nearly twenty minutes, picky at the mix of cheese, dressing, chicken, and greens.

Miku didn't respond, so Kiyoteru assumed he was correct in his assumption. "You should weigh about one hundred and two pounds. Probably more like one hundred ten, considering your metabolism. How much to you really weigh? Because you certainly don't look one hundred pound to me."

Miku locked her teeth together, biting back a snarl. Who was he to involve himself in her personal issues? Who cared if she was eating, anyway? She wasn't starving. She just didn't like to eat. And her weight was none of his business!

"You're about ninety pounds," Kiyoteru decided. "Right?"

Miku considered his question, then set her fork aside. She saw his eye momentarily light up, hopeful that she would actually answer. Like she would answer. He was an idiot.

"Why are you here?" she asked coldly. Kiyoteru's face fell as comically as she had ever seen. Was part of being an adult reading people more accurately? She certainly had conflicted feelings about this sudden ability to understand Kiyoteru like she never had before. He had always been so involved in how she felt, what she was thinking, how to manipulate. It was reversed now. All Miku had to do was make sure she didn't abuse this new situation. That didn't mean she couldn't use it to make Kiyoteru leave her alone, which he would do. Sooner than later, hopefully.

"It's nothing to do with the Organization. I promise," Kiyoteru told her.

Miku stared at him with a look on her face he didn't understand. "That's never meant much before, Kiyoteru."

That hurt. She could see it. The tightening of his jaw showed this clearly.

"It does now," he replied.

"You promise?" she asked sarcastically. "Leave me alone with my stupid salad. I don't want to talk to you." There was a bite she hadn't intended to add in her words. Granted, she didn't really care how she made Kiyoteru feel after all that had happened between them, but she hadn't meant to spit her words quite so cruelly. To his credit, Kiyoteru didn't flinch.

"Miku." His tone was so serious Miku refocused her attention back on him after staring down at her pathetic, wilting salad and pretending he didn't exist. "I know you blame me. I'm done defending myself. Just let me make up for my screw ups. I really do mean that."

Miku stared back at him with eyes that were as blank as a sheet of unused paper. "It doesn't matter," she replied, and now her voice was bland and hiding pain. "It just… doesn't matter. Neither of us can make up for anything that happened."

_We killed them_, Miku longed to say. _We killed my friends._ But she couldn't do that. It would be admitting that it happened. It would be admitting that she and Kiyoteru had failed everyone. And it would be admitting she and Kiyoteru were the same, that they could get through it if they worked together. It wasn't worth it. Besides, working together had never done her any good in the past. And all these possible things she could admit to hurt more than anything else in the world.

She could never admit to any of them. Because she wasn't weak anymore. She was going to be a strong, independent adult, even if it meant leaving behind everything she knew and loved for something new. She wouldn't being dragged back into her old mess hold her back. She would complete the training and leave that Godforsaken city in the hands of those doomed magical girls and their childish recruiter.

Kiyoteru didn't speak. When he did, Miku heard barely restrained anger in his tone. "Don't say that to me," he said. "I've worked for years to try to make things better. I'm trying to make sure these girls succeed. I want to make sure that kid doesn't shoulder the same weight on his shoulders as I have to."

Miku set down the fork she had been clutching like a weapon in her fist. Taking as many breaths as she could to control her anger and her hatred for the man sitting across from her, she stared up at him as though she had a single chance to take him down. She could, if she wanted to. But that would make her emotionally involved. Again. She couldn't handle that.

"I'm doing what I was told. I'm training them," Miku told him. "No one said anything about success. I do my part and I leave. That's that."

Miku blinked looking away from Kiyoteru, who was silently fuming. Her eyes strayed to the other side of the street, where people walked and biked and scanned shop windows. Some looked happy. Some smiled. Others seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

"I don't want them to get hurt," Miku finally said, surprised she had admitted this aloud. "But I can't do anything. Nobody can. It's up to those girls."

_Besides,_ she thought,_ no one helped us when we needed it._

As though Kiyoteru could read her thoughts (he couldn't, she knew), he stood and left as silently as he had arrived. Miku was almost glad to be left alone with her disgusting salad and her own deep, dark thoughts. Though, had you asked her at that exact moment, she might have told the truth.

But then again, maybe she would have been as silent as she usually was, picking at that salad as though you didn't exist at all.

* * *

Miku had a hard time warming up to the girls. Not that she ever tried. Though with SeeU, it wasn't really a problem. SeeU was rude. SeeU was angry. SeeU was a complete brat. And Miku didn't like her at all. The other girls were so different from SeeU it was unnerving.

Haku was quiet, which bugged her a bit. She wasn't very good at standing up for herself, though, as she had witnessed on her first day with the girl, Haku understood that there was a time and place to get up in someone's face. She had a fairly average tolerance for pain, though, and wasn't the best with magic. Overall, Miku liked Haku the most, though would never admit to liking any of the girls. After all, it was best not to get attached. Gumi and Rin were nothing special, though Gumi had an incredibly high tolerance for pain. In the first few weeks, she had broken her arm three times, smashed her face into the sidewalk (though she wouldn't tell Miku how this happened), cut one of her toes clean off, and gotten her hair caught in a car door. Each and every time, Miki, a girl who was far too bright and bubbly in her opinion, healed Gumi the best she could, proving that she had the best control over her magic. The magical girl who used water was not usually supposed to be in control of healing magic, though in the absence of the time girl, Miki took over the position of medic. Lucky for Gumi.

SeeU, however, was a completely different story. She was terrible at managing magic and pain. She was rude and insolent and always looking for a fight. Miku found herself growing a strong and special hatred for this girl. Which made it even harder to train her, especially when she wouldn't listen. SeeU even blamed her for the lack of progress. Miku couldn't list all the reasons this was wrong if she had a week. So she settled for trying as little as possible without seeming as though she didn't care. After all, she already knew the girls were doomed. Whether she succeeded while training them meant very little in the overall scheme of things.

One common trait all the girls shared was that they could not work together. Their magic did not sync up properly. Without the last member (and their leader), Miku doubted that they would ever be able to transform effectively, let alone fight a monster. It was frustrating, and she hated to admit to herself that she could not handle training them without their final teammate. And after weeks without the sixth girl, Miku was beginning to wonder if there even was one.

On one such training day, when all the girls had been brought together at the park, Miku was especially worried. For the lesson she had planned, using the sixth girl was essential. Nevertheless, she wasn't there, so Miku would have to make due with only five girls. Oh, and a clingy brother. Len rarely left Rin alone, showing up for every single training session she participated in. It was a pain, but Miku couldn't exactly tell him to go. She tried to tell herself she didn't really care, but lying to herself was getting harder and harder lately.

Miku had decided that on that day, they were going to begin scanning for magical activity. She knew that it would be far easier to do this together the first time around, though the missing girl was certainly worrying. Without the sixth, it would be hard to focus completely on the task. If she really had to (though she hoped she wouldn't) she would have to fill in for the sixth member. She wasn't willing to expend her own magic, but the sooner the girls learned, the sooner she would be gone. She'd simply have to use some of her own energy if it really came down to that.

Miku had the girls meet in a large field at the park. They all showed up on time, standing awkwardly together in the shade of a decent-sized tree. None of them saw her on a bench some distance away, the magical item she had told Piko to ship to her from her own town in her hands. It had arrived last night, and Miku hadn't had the guts to tie that choker around her neck after so many years of shoving its existence to the back of her mind. Instead, she stared down at the glowing green stone on the worn leather, her fingers fumbling over the cool surface. The gem was always cool. It hadn't lit up brightly in years. No heat could be felt on the surface, which felt as though it had been in the fridge for several days.

Miku glanced up from her own item when she heard the familiar voice of SeeU greeting the others in her customary fashion.

"Where's Miku?" she demanded. Rin shrugged.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Haku said shakily. Of course she would be the one to say that. Honestly. Miku tucked her item into her pocket, standing and deciding that it would be best to meet up with the girld before sparks began to fly. Around a wild card like SeeU, it was entirely possible.

"Well, I'm not sticking around if she makes us wait!" SeeU declared.

"You've been here all of two minutes," Gumi told her pointedly. "She'll be here soon."

Rin blinked, glancing up as Miku approached. Obviously, she didn't know what to do. Miku wasn't the time to wave back, so she remained silent as the older girl stopped right behind SeeU and Miki, who looked put-out at the girl's attitude. The others all noticed her, though SeeU completely ignored the looks she was being shot.

"If we're asked to show up on time, she should, too," SeeU replied.

"Hello," Miku interrupted. SeeU jumped and whipped her head around to look at Miku, who stood with her hands in her jacket pockets and her face expressionless. None of the girls (or Len) could hold back the shivers her indifference gave them. Honestly, they were all a bit frightened of her and Miku knew. Not that she blamed them for it. She hadn't exactly made herself likeable.

"About time," SeeU snapped, crossing her arms, though her face was turning the faintest shade of red.

Miku accepted her comment with a tilt of her head and moved on, feeling no need to defend herself. After all, the topic was petty and nothing to fight over.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked. The girls nodded together, all except SeeU, who was silently fuming.

"Good. Now, I'm going to have all of you sit in a circle. Len and I will be standing outside of it. We just want the magical girls for this," Miku instructed.

The girls followed her orders and sat down in a small circle. Miki was sticking close to Gumi, holding the girl's hand and leaning into her, while the others seemed to be keeping their distance.

"Take your neighbors hand," Miku continued, watching as the girls uncomfortably did as she asked. SeeU's nose wrinkled in irritation and Haku refused to meet anyone's eyes.

_That's right_, Miku thought._ These girls must not have been friends before becoming magical girls. _So they were still awkward around each other. That wasn't good. They needed to be able to rely on each other. Without trust, they would dead after one battle.

"Just do it!" she commanded firmly and the girls jumped before scooting in a bit closer and gripping hands tightly. That was a start, at least.

"Good," she said. "Now, what we will be doing today is fairly simple. All I want you to do is sense a portal."

Rin spoke up this time, jumping in before SeeU could. "We can already do that, Miss Hatsune," Rin said.

"Can you tell me exactly where one is at any given time?" Miku asked. No one answered. "No. I thought not. While you can all sense when a portal opens or roughly where it is, that isn't enough to locate one. Running around the east side of town all afternoon simply isn't going to work. So, today you'll be practicing finding portals. The exact coordinates."

Miku rarely spoke much during training. In general, the girls didn't hear her speak very much, whether it was training or not. This was an abnormally long explanation.

"Now, be quiet. I'll do my best to walk you through the process," Miku told them. They all remained silent, including Len, who stood beside her awkwardly as he observed.

"First of all," Miku began, ignoring the wind that picked up and made a mess of her pigtails and bangs, "what I want you all to do is close your eyes."

She waited for the small circle to do as she had told them. Once they had all shut their eyes, she began to circle them, observing each of their expressions. Rin and Miki seemed fairly relaxed, while Haku, Gumi, and SeeU were concentrating on the sounds around them. When Miku walked back around behind SeeU, the girls eyes snapped open and she turned her head to glare up at Miku. Miku stared back at her with a frozen look on her face until the girl turned back around with closed eyes.

"Good. Now, I need all of you to relax. That means you can breathe, Gumi," Miku instructed. The girl took a shuddering breath and released stiff shoulders. Miki lightly squeezed the girl's hand to reassure her and the green girl's mouth twitched briefly, though she didn't smile.

"Perfect," Miku announced. "Finally. We can move on to the actual lesson."

Miku stopped walking around the girls and stopped next to Len again, who obviously didn't know what was going on, though he seemed to be trying.

"What you're all going to do is reach out a little. Not physically, but mentally. You can feel the magical presence of you teammates, right?" The girls nodded together, some squeezing their eyes shut tighter in concentration. "That's what we'll be doing here. But field will be much larger. Try to look at the park as a whole."

Miku expected this of them, at least. Though past the boundaries of the park, she highly doubted they would be able to see anything, magical or not.

"Miku!" Haku gasped. "There's traces of magic everywhere!"

She could hear the panic in the girl's voice and tried not to sigh. "There's traces of magic everywhere. I'm surprised you haven't noticed until now."

Haku looked a bit embarrassed but didn't open her eyes. Miku had a feeling that she probably should have worded that a bit differently. But there was nothing to do about that now.

"So far, so good," she said. "Now, try a bit farther."

This was where she fully expected things to disintegrate. It was hard to stay focused without a leader to pull them all together. Without the final magical girl, who would of course be the leader, she doubted these girls would get far. Especially now, with a topic that was much harder than anything els they had tried so far.

The girls all had looks of extreme concentration on their faces and Miku was surprised they hadn't yet given up. She was even more surprised when Miki happily announced, "We got to the parking lot!"

Well. She had to admit they were all stubborn. To a point, at least.

"How are you holding?" Miku asked. "Is your line of sight unsteady?"

"Yes," Haku squeaked. Miku could tell she was worn out already.

"Don't go any further," Miku ordered.

"We can do it!" SeeU declared angrily.

"Don't," Miku repeated, though she knew it was no use. The girls were already being dragged along with SeeU's attempt to prove herself.

Len looked worried. "Why can't they keep going?" he asked.

Miku shot him a glance as she replied. "It's pretty much the equivalent of doing the splits when you know you can't. Except your entire body is being put through it. You're simply stretching yourself too far."

Len looked even more worried now as he watched the girls attempts.

"Stop it, SeeU!" Miki demanded, opening her eyes and trying to wrench her hands free on either side of her. She couldn't.

"We can try a bit more!" SeeU retorted. "Come on!"

"You've already lost the connection," Miku told her. "When Miki opened her eyes."

SeeU's own blue eyes shot open to glare at Miki.

"Don't blame her," Gumi defended the red-head. "None of us wanted to try to go any further. If Miku says we can't, then we can't."

SeeU turned her glare to Gumi, her own hands refusing to part with her neighbors. "We're plenty powerful enough! Why should we listen to her?"

"You are powerful," Miku concurred. "But that doesn't matter if you can't control it. And dragging your teammates around because of your own stupidity will get them killed."

SeeU was now seething, her fingers closing around Haku's hand tightly and making the girl yelp. "Just because you got your team killed doesn't mean I will!"

Miku's face rearranged itself momentarily, fighting off a scowl. Luckily, she managed to control her own anger before she said anything.

"You don't understand the first thing about being a magical girl," Miku told her. "You are hot-headed and selfish. This is serious and if you can't work with those on your team and follow orders, people will die."

SeeU continued to glare at Miku.

"If you can't learn that, then I'm afraid you're on your own. All of you," Miku spoke to the whole group now. "I refuse to teach anyone who can't take this seriously."

"I don't want you teaching me, anyway!" SeeU spat, her hands finally being released from the magical bind that held them to the other girls. She jumped to her feet and used her height advantage to loom over Miku, only three inches from her face. "You're a lower level than me! And you're a complete failure! I don't understand why we need you at all!"

Miku stared up at the angry girl, her own hands still trapped in her pocket, wrapped around her magical item. It was glowing red hot now. Miku knew she could easily take SeeU down, hit her where it hurt in the blink of an eye. But she wouldn't. She was better than that.

Miku took a calm step backwards, sighing. "You need me because there's no one else," Miku said. "It doesn't matter how much power you have. It doesn't matter how well you use it. It matters how you understand it. If I can't help you understand it, then new magical girls will be brought it. God knows what will happen to you."

Miku let her hands relax in her pockets, slowly releasing her anger as best she could. "We're done for today. There will be no training tomorrow. Have the decency to apologize for interrupting Miki and Rin's time with me."

Miku turned and began to walk away, her feet falling on afternoon shadows. It was almost one, and normally training would have gone on for another four hours or so. Unfortunately, Miku was almost completely sure that if she stuck around, she would end up doing something she really regretted.

SeeU and the other girls were left behind in a stunned silence. Nobody could believe SeeU had the audacity to speak to their mentor like that. Miki was fuming herself, appalled that SeeU had gotten her own training session cancelled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Miki demanded, standing up and facing SeeU. She was tiny, but that didn't mean she didn't have guts.

"It's okay, Miki," Rin assured her. "There's no used in fighting about it."

"It's most definitely not okay!" Miki retorted. "You'd better apologize and ask for her to take that back. Your stupidity is not going to affect my training. Unlike you, I'm willing to admit that I need help with my magic."

SeeU glared back at the small girl. "Why would I apologize?" she spat. "I meant everything I said. Besides, you can't make me."

"Yes, I can!" Miki declared, yanking Len over to her by the arm and pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. The boy didn't protest a bit, though he did dart over to Rin as soon as Miki had his phone. The red-head scanned the blond boy's contacts and selected one. "I'm calling Mr. Hiyama!"

SeeU's face instantly went white. She wasn't exactly scared of Kiyoteru Hiyama, but she didn't trust him, either. In fact, she didn't trust anyone with connections to the Organization.

"Fine!" she snatched the phone away, quickly hitting the call end button and tossing the device back to Len, who fumbled to catch it. "I'll go apologize!"

Miki couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Now, if her training was still cancelled, she could forgive SeeU a bit. After all, she was at least going to try.

* * *

Miku was eating a sandwich in her hotel room when there was a knock at the door. Well, eating might have been a bit of a stretch. After all, she hadn't had more than three bites and that had probably been a good ten minutes ago.

But it gave Miku an excuse to be annoyed when she had to get up. She stood slowly, her feet sliding across the carpet as she went to open the door. She could have known who it was by reading the magical aura, but that seemed like a lot of work at the time.

Miku twisted the knob and opened the door to come face to face with SeeU. The girl had her long blonde hair tied up in a bun on her head, her kitty ears still visible behind her bangs. Her clothes were messy, the sort you longue around the house in. No doubt she had been doing just that before she had come here.

"Yes?" Miku asked in a deadpan voice.

SeeU's eyes refused to meet hers.

"I came to apologize," she muttered. "Probably doesn't matter, but Miki told me to. So sorry, I guess."

Miku raised her eyebrows to express her disbelief. "Good try," she said. "You are terrible at apologizing."

SeeU glanced up at her quickly, a scowl on her face. But instead of supplying an angry retort, she held her tongue and continued trying to apologize.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I should have listened to you and I shouldn't have said any of the things I said."

Miku listened quietly and waited in silence for several moments after SeeU had spoken. The girl seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable as nothing was said.

"So, do you accept?" SeeU demanded. "Because I think Miki's pretty mad that I got her training cancelled. Cancel mine instead, if you have to."

Miku stared at SeeU for a moment before speaking.

"Okay. Miki and Rin can come to training tomorrow," Miku said. "And I won't be cancelling yours, either."

She could see the weight that was lifted off of SeeU after she said that. She straightened up a bit, and while she didn't smile, she didn't look quite so upset anymore.

"Okay. Good. That's good," SeeU said. She didn't seem to know what to do next.

"You can leave now," Miku told the girl. "I doubt you have nothing to do on a Sunday night."

SeeU bit her lip. "Okay," she repeated. "Um… See you Thursday."

"See you Thursday," Miku agreed. The girl finally left after that, turning around and doing her best not to run down the hall and out of sight.

Miku sighed to herself once the girl was out of sight.

_Maybe things will be a bit easier now,_ she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! About a month later...**

**Heh.**

**Well, in my defense, I was trying to design all the magical girl outfits before I wrote anymore. However, I only have Haku's, Rin's, Miku's, and Miki's. I've started SeeU's but her's is quite difficult to get right. If anyone is willing, I appreciate designs for either Gumi or SeeU. I hope someone out there reading this can draw, because I'm not very good myself. If you do decide to design an outfit, the only thing I ask is that Gumi's include a steampunk-ish quality. That is all.  
**

**I'm currently working on chapter six, and chapter five is over 6,000 words, so I've been working on this pretty hard. We're going into the first story arch now, I think! And an important new character is introduced soon!**

**I suppose that is all. Thank you for all the reviews thus far! The follows and the faves, too!**

* * *

Things were not easier.

Even though SeeU was slightly more cooperative now and far less rude in general, especially to Miki, things weren't easier. In fact, Miku could argue the point that things were getting increasingly difficult. They still didn't have their last teammate, and Miku's magic was far too advanced to be of much help while training them. But it seemed that, for the time being, Miki had stepped up to the position of leader, even though she never did anything especially leader-like. The other girls just chose to follow her lead in what they did. It was odd. Miku never would have suspected Miki would be the one to take up the job. Gumi seemed more fitting. Then again, the girl was unusually cautious. And following the example of a girl who regularly showed up to training with a broken nose or something equally horrible might not be the best idea.

Miku missed the way things were when she was a magical girl. She didn't necessarily miss the fighting or magic. But she certainly missed her friends. The way they handled things was so easy and straightforward. Luka had… Luka had been the leader. And everyone loved her. Things went smoothly, for the most part.

Miku hated thinking their names. It hurt. But sometimes she couldn't stop herself in time.

Miku also hated the way she was constantly in a state of depression that was getting worse and worse. She'd have to try harder.

She had been trying to solve the new generation's biggest problem before her thoughts had strayed. They just didn't sync up. Unlike her generation, they weren't friends. And that was a big problem that had yet to be solved. So she was going to do something that she hadn't expected to do.

Miku was going to take the girls to dinner. It was a weak attempt at forcing them all to be friends, but she was going to try. It was a desperate, stupid idea, but Miku couldn't think of anything else. As long as Kiyoteru or somebody else showed up, then it would be okay, she supposed. Her foresight had never been reliable, honestly. Any number of things could go wrong.

She had asked them to meet up outside the hotel. It was getting a bit dark on Sunday, and Miku wondered when the sun would finally set. She had been trying to avoid going out in the dark or towards dusk as much as possible. It wasn't that she was scared. But you could never be completely sure nothing dangerous was out there. Especially at night, when portal activity was wild and chaotic.

So it would be a lie to say she wasn't getting a bit nervous, waiting alone outside as the daylight slowly dimmed. Luckily, the girls, accompanied by Len, met up with her quickly, standing inches and sometimes feet away, as though standing near her would put them in harm's way. She didn't really doubt that as a possibility.

Finally, the last of them arrived (the twins, actually, which was a bit surprising to Miku), and they all instantly turned to Miku. She knew that they wanted to know what they would be doing today. Honestly, Miku didn't know if she could tell them with a straight face. She didn't actually want to go out with this group of irritating teens, but it was her best idea. Or her worst. Either could be proved, depending on how this dinner went.

"Why did you ask us to meet you here?" Rin asked.

"By your tone over the phone, I expect we're going to be doing something really horrible today," Miki added.

"Something like that," Miku confirmed. "Follow me."

The group trailed behind her, and Miku knew they were all sharing similar looks of annoyance and dread. Whispers that were just out of reach teased her senses, and she couldn't help feeling the slightest bit annoyed. She wasn't going to pretend she was likable, but the least they would do was complain about her when she wasn't around. She resisted the automatic response her heightened sense of hearing had to the whispers and walked along in front of the girls quietly, hoping they wouldn't try to include her. They didn't.

They arrived at the restaurant that Miku had chosen earlier. Confusion pulsed from the group as Miku glanced up at the sign, in through the front windows, then walked inside. They all followed, the twins being the least reluctant.

"Why are we here?" Miki asked Gumi in a low voice, looking around at the interior. It was rather nice, a bit more expensive than Miku was used to. But, hey, she had the money. With what the Organization was putting into her account these days in payment for her wasted time in this city, she could afford a bit more luxury than the fast food she ate far too often.

Gumi shook her head and watched as the hostess greeted Miku. She was a bright girl, only a bit older than Miku, with a nice smile and glasses.

"Hello! Is this it?" the girl asked.

"Yes," Miku answered simply.

"Great! Would you prefer a booth? Inside?" the girl continued, sliding menus out from under her podium.

"Yes, that sounds good," Miku said. Her students followed in their confused state as the girl led them to their table. They all slid into the booth, which was large and stretched most of the way around the table.

The girl explained the specials and left them with their menus before darting off to help someone else. The menus remained in their pile in the center of the table, as though they were afraid to touch them. Miku suppressed a sigh and took one for her own, sliding the paper across the surface of the table an propping it open so it hid her face.

"I assume you're all hungry?" she asked.

No one said anything for a moment. Then SeeU spoke up.

"Good joke. But seriously, where are we going?"

Miku dropped her menu and gave SeeU a deadpan stare. The girl dropped her eyes to the tabletop and the others did their best to ignore the mental scolding SeeU was being given.

"It's not a joke," Miku said. "We're at dinner. I'm paying. Now try to enjoy yourselves a bit." _I don't want to put in the effort for nothing._

They were once again silent. It was no surprise to Miku when Rin passed around the menus to the girls and her brother. She scanned the menu, chose something small, and sat back as the rest of her group exchanged looks they thought she couldn't see. Miki was close to Gumi, doing her best not to touch SeeU, who sat on her other side. Looking around, Miku saw everyone mimicking this behavior. If they couldn't even stand to brush elbows, how could they trust each other?

The waitress, a different girl with braces and cropped blonde hair, came by to take their orders and broke the silence no one else dared to interrupt. Once she left, the silence returned, and Miku knew how awkward they all felt.

"Talk," she instructed at last. The gazes of everyone around the table snapped to her, puzzled.

"Talk," she repeated. "It's not that hard to do."

Miki shot Gumi a look before speaking up. "Talk about what?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Anything," Miku replied. "Just talk to your teammates."

"So that's the catch," Rin said in an equally quiet voice, though the accusing not in her voice could not be ignored. "You want us to like each other."

"'Like' doesn't matter," Miku told the girl. "It matters how much you trust them and respect them. Do you? Do any of you?"

And there was silence again.

"Right. I thought as much," Miku said. "Before we do anything else involving magic, you're going to learn to trust each other." _Besides, it's not like you have all your team together, anyway._

There were no protests, though Miku could hear the indignation in their speeding heartbeats and see the irritation in their faces. She hated those pathetic faces. They were so childish. Pety was a good word for it, too. The way Miki avoided SeeU, the way Rin refused to touch any of them, the way they ignored Haku unless she got loud, which rarely happened. It made her so angry.

They were all going to die. And it would be all their fault. Every single one of them. No one could say Miku wasn't trying, because she was. Miku was trying a lot harder than she ever meant to and she really hoped it didn't turn around to bite her in the ass.

It probably would.

"Don't you have anything in common?" Miku asked with a sigh. She didn't want to be doing this any more than they did, but if they were going to be difficult, then she wouldn't have any pity for the girls.

"Haku goes to the same school as us," Gumi offered quietly. Miku was glad to have some reply without attitude, though Gumi was rarely rude. She was generally a very quiet, well-mannered girl, though she seemed a lot more confident than Haku.

"Good start. Don't talk to me, though," Miku gestured with the tilt of her head to the other girls. She sat back in her seat, legs crossing under the table as the girls shot each other uncomfortable looks.

It wasn't any surprise when Miki directed the conversation at Haku first. Miki was the friendliest of them all, even though she didn't seem to like SeeU very much.

"How's your brother?" the red-head asked. Haku started and directed her attention to Miki, who looked at her expectantly.

"He's okay," Haku replied. "I think. I haven't talked to him for about a week, but he's sort of reserved, anyway."

"That's good," Miki replied. "I just saw him at the store last Friday, so I was wondering."

"I'm surprised you saw him there. He usually gets poor Oliver to run all her errands," Haku sympathized with this unknown Oliver boy. He sounded like a foreigner. Not that it mattered to Miku.

"He has a new assistant already?" SeeU asked, and looked surprised that she had spoken at all.

Haku smiled. "Yeah. The last one quit."

"No shock there," Miki said. "He's intense."

"Nice attempt at not being rude," Gumi told the girl.

"Thank you," Miki accepted the compliment as Gumi rolled her eyes. The two had an odd relationship, one Miku wasn't going to bother pondering.

Miku wasn't very interested in what they were talking about, but she was glad that they were having a civil conversation. The arrival of the food helped ease her boredom, and the girls, while they were still a bit apprehensive and fell into a few uncomfortable silences when the conversation dropped, made an effort to talk. They were getting along, even if it was forced.

Well, it was a start.

* * *

"Hey, Miku!"

There was Teto, on the phone with her the way she was every night. Piko would either call on his own phone later or Teto would hand her phone over to him. The two were always together. When Miku happened to be in the same tow, the three of them were always together. They were easy friends, the kind you could be with without having to do much of anything. That's why Miku liked them.

"Hello, Teto," Miku greeted. She was in her own hotel room now, her hair loose and her pajamas snug on her frame. Her choker sat on the bedside table, her back facing it as she sat on the opposite side of the bed. Her feet barely touched the ground, and she internally cursed the moron who made the bed so high off the floor.

"What's up?"

"Nothing since you last called has happened," Miku replied, which was a lie. But it was an easy lie. In the end, it wouldn't hurt Teto if she didn't know about Miku's past. So why mention it?

"You are so full of it!" her friend accused, and Miku heard a rush of static as Teto sighed. "Come on, what's your family like? Is the city nice?"

"Same as always, I guess," Miku said, slightly amused by her friend's irritation. In the background, she could hear the rapid pressing of buttons and angry curses directed at the television. No doubt Piko was playing video games.

"You're so stupid."

"I love you, too."

Teto laughed. "Swoon, Hatsune. Keep that up and we'll be married before long."

"I take it back. I hate you."

Teto laughed again, a loud snort covered up by her hand as the phone shook.

"Just so you know, Piko and I are doing great," Teto told her. "Piko's kid sister has been bugging him about visiting sometime this summer, so you'd better get back here in time for her to meet you."

"I'll try," Miku said, though wasn't sure. It had been far longer than she ever intended to be there anyway, and they weren't getting anywhere. She missed her friends, but wouldn't even dream of going back to see them in the middle of this mess. Guilt rose in her throat like bile every time she spoke to one of them over the phone. By talking to them , she felt that they were in danger. She was putting them in danger just by using her phone, and though this was a stupid thing to think, she couldn't get past it. She was a wreck of nerves.

"You'd better," Teto sounded about as threatening as a kitten, though Miku knew she wasn't someone to cross when she was genuinely angry.

"I'll try," Miku repeated as though that would validate the phrase any more than it already had been.

She swore she could hear the eye-roll she received. "You've been there for weeks and you haven't told us anything," Teto said, switching topics as quickly as she always did. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Miku replied in a steady voice. She was a master liar after evading questions about her past for so long. She knew how to keep her voice and her face, but sometimes emotions could get the best of her. That seemed to be happening more and more lately, unfortunately.

"You sure? Because you know you can talk to me. Probably not Piko since he's useless, but I'll help in any way I can!"

_You can help by pretending everything is okay. Maybe if everyone starts doing that, it'll help me do that, too._

"Completely sure. My family is just sort of a big mess. You know, the usual drama," Miku lied.

"That sounds fun!" Teto's sarcasm was evident. "Yo, Miku. Piko's yelling at me to get off the phone, but if he calls later, I'll hijack the call, okay?"

"Perfect," Miku agreed. "Talk to you later."

"Bye bye!"

With that, the line went dead, and Miku's phone automatically switched to the home page. She tossed it aside, wearily combing her fingers through her hair. God, if those two saw the state she was in…

Miku was sure she had already lost weight during her stay in her old city. She didn't dare get near a scale, but she could just feel the difference in her body. Her hair was usually ratty, rarely brushed before she pulled it into her typical pigtails. Her clothes, well… They needed a wash. And when was her last shower?

Sometime last Tuesday sounded about right.

She sighed at her own pathetic appearance. She was a wreck, and she couldn't hold herself together much longer in this city. She missed her apartment with its stupid leaky faucet in the kitchen and the neighbors who didn't understand the meaning of quiet. It might be weird to miss those things, but they were so familiar that living without them felt so incredibly odd now. Her shower had hot water for more than five minutes! What was the world coming to?

Well, at least she was managing to make jokes, albeit internal, very much not funny ones. It was a start.

Really, her hotel room was her only refuge. And now that the girls were able to hold a conversation without snapping at one another at some point, she felt a bit more confident in the fact that she would return back to her breaking apartment before she began to get grey hair.

All the same, they really did need that sixth girl. Just where was the time-user hiding? She couldn't be missing for much longer if the Organization expected Miku to handle these girls' training. Then again, they had never been especially reasonable.

That time girl would have to show up soon. Very soon, or Miku may just have to resort to new measures. And she really, really didn't want to do that.

* * *

A week later, Miku resorted to new measures. Despite the amazing advancement of conversation between her students, they weren't getting anywhere magically, especially since they were all terrible at teambuilding games, one of which included each girl being led through the city blind-folded as another girl on her tem did her best to avoid smashing her partner into other people and buildings. SeeU's eye was still black and Miki didn't seem especially sorry.

So Miku was trying something else. Granted, her new idea might be a bit cruel, but it didn't concern her. The girls had to learn, and if Miku was the one teaching them, then they would play by her rules. Maybe she could prove once and for all she was an absolutely useless mentor. Though she doubted it.

On Wednesday the week after the dinner, Miku sent all the girls a text. All the text included was the place to meet, which, as the girls were unaware, could be found in an abandon warehouse right in the middle of a portal hotspot. It was crawling with unseen monsters, low-level ones that fed off magical energy like it was the nectar of the gods. Unfortunately, none of the girls had yet to face a monster, which was exactly what Miku was going for.

Since Haku's first training session, she had avoided leaving the girls alone in dangerous situations. But she was done coddling them. And besides, she would be sitting in the rafters if they needed anything. They would be fine.

Probably.

The girls arrived together, which was a good sign in Miku's book. She stared down around her dangling legs as the girl stepped into the huge warehouse and slid the door behind them. Len was not there today, which she appreciated. He was a distraction, extra baggage she didn't want to worry about. Besides, Rin needed ot learn to depend on her teammates, not on her brother.

"Miku!" Miki called out, glancing around the warehouse. It was mostly empty, save for a few crates and boxes smashed in a corner, their contents spread across the floor like raindrops on a car's windshield.

"Are you here, Miku?" came Haku's gentler voice. She was sticking close to SeeU, who looked annoyed. Couldn't they sense the portal energy around them at all? There were monsters everywhere here, crawling along the rafters only feet away from Miku and scaling the walls. They bulged from the ground, oozing without any real form. Some had odd, shiny eyes, while some had one eye, and others had none. They had reminded Miku of Silly Putty before, the way they moved and oozed. But Miku had discovered the way they struck like vipers not long after her first encounter with them. It was lucky for her that they were such a low level.

Despite being a low level, they were still dangerous. Unless you had magic of your own, you couldn't really see them. Even then, they had to really grab your attention. Despite being fast, these beasts were clumsy and smashed into things carelessly. It didn't often matter, since their chosen prey typically couldn't see them.

Miku knew exactly what the loud shouting from the girls would do. And it didn't take long for it to happen.

With a shriek, Rin jumped back and yanked her ankle from the grip of one of the monster that had crawled out of the earth to pull at her. The thing dissolved back into the ground, leaving a shadow of a puddle in its absence.

Instantly, Rin was next to Miki, who jerked the girl next her and clung to Gumi. They were now well aware that they were in trouble, and that these monsters had them surrounded completely. Miku was far away, but with her superhuman eyes, she could see the fear etched on each girl's face. It was almost refreshing to know that she had managed to show them what true fear meant. Now maybe they'd be less cocky. Maybe now they'd understand how utterly useless they'd be without proper training.

Miku reveled in this feeling of extreme superiority as the girls backed themselves against the door before realizing that more monsters were oozing through that. With a yell of surprise, SeeU yanked Haku away from one as it swiped at the silver-haired teen, who had tears in her eyes. SeeU backed them up to the middle of the floor again, where the least amount of monsters were popping up.

"Stay right where you are!" she ordered, making sure they all scrunched together. Gumi had her arms wrapped tightly around Miki, her usually stoic face showing panic like Miku had never before seen on the girl's features.

"What are these?" SeeU demanded.

_Good start. Maybe you'll find out how to beat them, _Miku had to allow herself a wry smile. _But I doubt it._

"They feed off magic," Rin explained in a rush of air. Her face was pale, and her blue eyes darted around wildly. "We can't do anything about them, though. We can't do any magic!"

SeeU growled, pulling her scarf off of her neck. "I'm going to do what I can," she declared as she folded it in half. "Just stay behind me if you can! I'm sure Miku will get here soon."

_Idiot. Brave, but that doesn't make you any less of an idiot,_ Miku told the girl in her head. She watched as SeeU smacked aside one of the many hands reaching out for them, her scarf slapping the weird skin of the monster and dissolving it into ooze.

Miku was glad to see that they were actually doing fairly well. In regards to her lesson, that is. They were doing a terrible job of fending off the monsters. In fact, it was likely that they wouldn't last another five minutes. Which wasn't surprising, really.

Miku was in awe of how SeeU was doing, though. Of _what_ she was doing. SeeU did not seem like the type to defend or sacrifice herself for anyone. But there she was, a literal human shield between her teammates, who were all around useless, and the monsters coming at them. They weren't in any while Miku was there, but they certainly thought they were. Maybe she had gotten SeeU entirely wrong. Maybe she wasn't simply an angry, rude girl.

Things seemed to be getting desperate now. At least, from the girls' point of view. They were surrounded, no way out, and Gumi had been pulled from behind SeeU's shield of attacks. The blonde girl thought fast though, and actually stomped on the arm gripping the girl's ankle.

"Damn it!" SeeU hissed, and Miku could see her ears beginning to glow from where she was. None of the girls had transformed yet, but that was always the first sign. Miku watched in attentive silence, curious despite herself. She hadn't expected much to happen. Honestly, the way the girls stuck together and the way SeeU protected them was enough to convince her that they had passed her test for the moment, but if there was more to be seen, Miku wasn't going to jump in.

Perhaps she was cruel. But she was also getting results. Despite the girls' terror and panic, they would appreciate this later when they understood how their relationships with each other had improved. At least, Miku hoped this would be the case.

SeeU's eyes were alight with fire as the scarf she was holding burst into flames. The cloth refused to burn, though, and became a blazing whip as SeeU jumped on the creature that had attempted to drag Gumi away.

It was quite a sight. SeeU was an impressive spectacle, though it was obvious she couldn't handle these monsters for very long, especially not with all the magical energy she was burning. Literally, it seemed. It was her luck that these particular monsters were not fans of light or heat, thus causing them to shrink away from the girl. This was probably why they chose an abandon warehouse to inhabit. Though had SeeU been using another element, it was unlikely that her magic would have had the same effect on them.

Before the creatures could realize that SeeU would soon exhaust her reservoir of magic, Miku jumped from the rafters and let herself fall right between SeeU and the new target she had turned to, seeing as she had easily finished off her first one. She landed neatly, her earth magic allowing her to survive the impact with the stone floor.

"Okay, SeeU. You can calm down now," Miku told the girl, who looked extremely angry and even a bit confused. The other girls, while not cowering in the middle of the floor, had yet to move a single inch.

"I can't."

Miku sighed. This was the obvious outcome, of course. Magical girls who found themselves attracted to the element of fire typically had terrible tempers, and while they were usually quite advanced, they often had difficulty remembering how to cool down. This was what Miku expected from SeeU, who was one of the most angry fire users she had ever encountered.

"You can," Miku told her, feeding her own magic to the creatures. They drank it up, not realizing how drowsy they were becoming. "Unclench your fists."

SeeU lets her fingers unfurl, her scarf falling to the stone floor, the flames instantly snuffing out.

"Good. Now, move back to your team. We'll be leaving soon," Miku instructed, feeling her own magic flow steadily away, her limited supplies becoming smaller and smaller. It would take a few hours or perhaps even days to restore to her full power. Even then, without being connected to a power source like she had been as a true magical girl, the act of gathering energy to create magic would wear her down considerably. But she had thought about all of these things beforehand. It was simply worth it if it meant these girls could learn, and if Miku could learn more about them as a team.

"What were those?" Rin asked, rubbing her arm as though she was cold. In reality, it was a warm summer evening, though the panic she had just felt no doubt sent a chill of fear through every muscle in her body.

"I don't know what they're called. It was never my area, really," Miku replied. "They feed off magic."

"They're absolutely disgusting," Miki squeaked. She had her hand clasped tightly in Gumi's. Haku sat at their feet, completely worn by the last few action-packed moments.

"I suppose," Miku said. "But you all did well, I think. SeeU certainly did. Though we'll have to work on changing that flight response to fight. In future, don't hide behind SeeU."

The girls looked alarmed and ashamed.

"You were watching the whole time?" SeeU demanded. "Are you serious?"

Miku shot the blonde girl a look she understood perfectly.

"What if we got hurt?" Miki sounded angry, too, which Miku wasn't used to. Not that she couldn't handle it.

"There was never any danger of that. Those monsters would never kill you, anyway," Miku brushed her worry aside. "The most they would do is drain you of magical energy. It would leave you quite tired for a while. The human equivalent is running a marathon, I suppose."

"How could you do that?" Miki asked, ignoring everything she had just said. "We trusted you!"

"Don't trust everyone of authority. That's a very important rule," Miku replied blandly. "Only trust yourself and your teammates. If you rely on me or the Organization to get you out of trouble, you will be disappointed at best. Dead at worst."

Her students were silent. Apparently the thought that they couldn't trust anyone had never crossed their minds. The thought had never entered Miku's head when she first started, either. To be perfectly honest, it likely never would have if things hadn't gone the way they had back then. Maybe she would still be a magical girl to this day, under the control of the Organization and reporting back to Kiyoteru. She couldn't know for sure.

It might be horrible to say, but she wasn't sure she would trade the lives of her dead friends just to be an ignorant child again.

"We won't make the mistake again," SeeU promised, her tone icy cold, just like her blue eyes. The look she gave Miku was dark and angry, her typical stare intensified past anything Miku had seen from the girl.

"Don't speak for us! You aren't our leader!" Miki shot at the girl, raising herself to her incredibly unimpressive full height.

SeeU hissed back at her as Miku turned to the small red-head. "Unfortunately, you don't have any leader at the moment. You're still short one member. In the meantime, you won't be practicing any more magic until you can all learn to cooperate. Or until your final teammate is brought in."

The collective response was indignation, though Gumi didn't seem to care very much and Haku still looked terrified.

"Fine," SeeU agreed angrily. "Whatever you say."

"Of course," Miku said. "Now come with me. I have a few more lessons planned out."

* * *

Miki arrived home tired and hungry. She could say she was angry, too, but in all honesty she was too tired to be properly angry. If anything, it was a dull throb of anger, very unlike the fiery rage she had felt earlier. Miki did not like being angry, but something about Miku and SeeU alike brought out that side of her. They were both so _infuriating_ and Miki didn't know why. Hopefully it would get worked out soon, otherwise Miki might be stuck pretending to be buddy-buddy with her teammates for God knows how long.

The only person Miki didn't mind was Gumi. Gumi had been her friend for years. Her _best_ friend. Through thick and thin, those two girls had stuck together. Miki knew their friendship would last through this mess, even if the other girls never saw eye to eye with her.

She sort of wished Gumi hadn't become a magical girl, though. Don't get her wrong, she loved working with Gumi. Learning magic with her was great! But that girl already had a lot going on in her life. She didn't need the added stress of being a magical girl. Saving the world and such. Well, if they ever got around to that part of it. Miku seemed determined to keep them back as long as possible. Miki had done her research; most magical girls did plenty of stuff out in the field before now. What was that girl's problem? What did she have against being a magical girl, anyway?

Miku was an odd character. At first, Miki had been intrigued by her. She used to be a magical girl, after all! Not only that, but she had been part of Generation 29, the only one that never came up in the news after disbanding. No one knew what happened to them. But after hearing Miku's comment…

_It comes with being a murderer._

That's what she had said. Word for word. Now, Miki wasn't one to make a mountain out of a molehill when it came to important things, but what if Miku's fellow magical girls were dead? What if it had been Miku herself who killed them? The idea sent a shiver of fear up Miki's spine. What was the Organization doing, sending a murderer to teach them?

God, now everything was so complicated. Not that long ago, Miki had been worried about getting to volleyball practice on time. Now there was all… this. This giant mess that Miku was supposed to sort out into magical girls. But wait! Miku was a huge mess herself, too! So how was she supposed to do anything?

Miki was tired, and not just because she had spent the past few hours putting up with stupid SeeU. She was tired in a way that made her bones and head ache and her stomach ball up in knots. It wasn't the kind of tired you could solve with a good night's sleep.

Miki doubted she would ever be properly alive again with the strain this stupid, stupid situation was putting on her.

* * *

**I forgot which chapter this was. I hate this one.**

**Review if that's your thing. I appreciate even the smallest of response. If you'd rather not review, I'll see you next chapter!**


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